Silver Blood (Series of Blood Book 1) by Emma Hamm (bill gates book recommendations .TXT) 📕

and the intense stare that had burned straight through her soul. She saw herself and Burke running from the three people chasing them. And in the end, she saw herself appear to be drunk in the alleyway before she shuddered. Her eyes had flipped backwards and then she hadn’t been herself at all.

Ripples of knowledge had rushed through her body. The blade in her hand was something she recognized. Wren was confident in her ability to use the weapon. Her body moved in fluid strikes that had been impossible for the others to dodge. Her wrist twisted, blood splattered, and she pivoted towards the next target. Battle became a deadly dance.

She didn’t have strength like that. E wasn’t strong, which meant she wasn’t strong. E hadn’t ever shown any inclination towards violence.

Yet now Wren knew she was wrong. E did have a dark side to it. It was capable of protecting her but never had attempted to do so in this way. When she questioned how E had learned these things, the creature refused to provide answers for her. That was “personal information” and not privy to her knowledge.

E had then receded into her mind. Wren had not heard from the creature for days now. She wasn’t certain if the use of that power had caused it to go into hibernation or if it had perhaps hurt itself.

The days were dreary with neither the creature in her head nor Burke.

Jiminy.

The name danced on her tongue and across her thoughts far too frequently for her liking. She remembered the green halo in his hazel eyes as though the sight had been etched into her head. She remembered how gently he had protected her and how his blue blood had dripped into the water when she tried to drown him.

But mostly she realized how much of a sense of security he had given her. The man was powerful and threatening, and he had made certain that her shop ran smoothly.

She sighed and wiped down the counter once more. There wasn’t any reason for her to be cleaning, but busy hands kept a busy mind occupied. Except when she was thinking about Burke, because then she wasn’t doing anything other than gathering wool.

“Wren?”

She glanced up from the rag in her hand to look into dark black eyes that were staring down at her.

“Really?” She couldn’t help but ask.

Pitch didn’t take a step back; she gave him credit for that. He had never been one to back down from a fight.

She smacked the rag onto the table and raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re coming in here after attempting to get me killed?”

“I didn’t know what they were going to do.”

“Really.” The word wasn’t a question as she walked around the back of the counter. Wren placed her hands firmly on her hips and tossed her soft lavender over her shoulder.

“Yes really. I didn’t know what they were going to do. They only asked for you.”

“That’s stuff you shouldn’t be involved with, Pitch, and certainly something I don’t want to be involved with. You can leave.”

“Wren, I need to talk to you.”

“Absolutely not. I’m not going to talk with you about anything.”

“Why are you being so stubborn? When I tell you I need to talk, I mean it!” His eyes were completely black now. So black that they reflected Wren’s image back at her. She didn’t look as stern as she had hoped. She looked frightened.

“I don’t care, Pitch. I’m not making the same mistake twice. Consider me fully bitten.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

She twirled a finger in the air. “Like a dog. I walked down your street, got bit by a big ol’ nasty dog, and now I am not walking down your street anymore.”

He stared at her as though she had grown a second head.

Wren danced her fingers in the air. “Toodaloo.”

A growl made the people next to them freeze. The sound that ripped out of Pitch’s throat was not human. In fact, it wasn’t a sound that Wren had ever heard anyone make before. If a lion had met a rockslide then it likely wouldn’t have managed to make the same sound.

He didn’t leave her shop. Following in Burke’s footsteps, he stalked to the corner of her shop and settled himself in a booth. His arms crossed firmly over his chest, and he glared at her as though he were trying to set her on fire.

Even Wren wasn’t foolish enough to attempt to move him. Pitch had enough people at his beck and call that he could have her wiped from the face of this earth. The situation was now out of her control. She could refuse to talk to him all she wanted, but eventually he was going to get his way.

Wren went back behind her counter and continued to wipe at the smooth surface. If Burke had been here, he might have been able to take care of Pitch for her. That was not particularly a fight she wished to see, but it would have been something to behold. She didn’t know which one would come out the victor.

Where was the man anyways? He had said the Five would send someone else to try and convince her to work for them, but that didn’t mean he had to leave entirely! She liked to think they had a good thing going. He sat in the corner of her shop, and she sometimes gave him something to drink. They exchanged pleasantries when she first saw him and when he left.

Wren almost groaned aloud. That wasn’t any sort of friendship or relationship, yet it had been perfect for her. He had simply been there. That had been enough.

And now she was alone again with another angry man in her shop. All she could do was wait for someone else to replace Burke and try to convince her to take the job. At this point, she might even say yes.

Her eyes darted over to Pitch. There wasn’t any reason for